Workers at Cottondale plant vote to unionize

For the second time in less than six months, the United Auto Workers have succeeded in organizing workers at a West Alabama automotive parts manufacturer.

By Patrick RupinskiBusiness Editor

For the second time in less than six months, the United Auto Workers have succeeded in organizing workers at a West Alabama automotive parts manufacturer.The union’s latest victory came Wednesday when workers at the Johnson Controls plant in Cottondale voted 106-83 to join the UAW. It was the UAW’s third attempt to organize the plant, said Charles Lewis of Tuscaloosa, a vice president of the UAW’s Local 2083.“It was a good win,” he said. “It was a hard fight and it was a success.”In June, the UAW succeeded in organizing the Faurecia automotive parts plant, also in Cottondale. The UAW also represents workers at the West Alabama automotive parts manufacturers ZF Industries in Tuscaloosa, JCIM (a Johnson Controls plant) in McCalla and Inteva in Cottondale, he said. All those plants supply automotive parts and components to the Mercedes-Benz auto assembly plant in Vance.Deborah Jones, a 14-year employee at the Cottondale Johnson Controls plant, voted to unionize.“It was very remarkable,” she said Thursday after the employees’ vote was official. “I was so very proud of the workers banding together.” Jones said she considers Johnson Controls to be a good company and a good place to work. She said workers had expressed different ­concerns in the days leading up to the vote.“I think it was a composite of things,” she said of the factors that put the latest vote in the UAW’s favor.In general, economic issues were on the workers minds, she said.Jones, a mother with children to support, said wages and health insurance are a concern for her.Etta Richardson, who also voted for the union, said wages are her main concern.“I was very happy with the way things turned out,” she said. “I feel like we need a united voice to represent us.”She said things were peaceful at the factory on Thursday and workers seemed happy with the results. She said the employees remain committed to the plant’s success.“We want to keep exceeding our customers expectations by sending them good parts,” she said. “We want to keep the plant successful.”The National Labor Relations Board conducted the election.Nancy Cleeland, director of public affairs for NLRB in Washington, said 202 employees were listed as eligible to vote with 196 of them casting ballots. The notice of the election listed full-time and part-time production and maintenance employees as eligible to vote. Management, supervisory and salaried administrative staff were ineligible to vote or join the union. Seven ballots were challenged during the election, but that number won’t change the outcome, Cleeland said.By law, either side could file a complaint within 10 days challenging the election. If no objections are made, the NLRB will certify the results and the UAW will be recognized as the employees’ representative, she said.Management at the plant referred a request for comment to Debra Lacey, a spokeswoman at the company’s automotive unit in Michigan. A message was left for Lacey but the call was not returned Thursday afternoon.Johnson Controls is one of the world’s largest automotive parts suppliers. The company originally built the Cottondale plant to make seats and interior components for Mercedes SUVs made nearby in Vance.But when the new generation of the Mercedes M-Class was announced, the automaker awarded that work to Faurecia.That caused some concern about the plant’s future, but in spring 2011, Mercedes picked Johnson Controls to make doors and interior cockpits for its next generation of C-Class sedans, whose production is being added at Vance next year. The Cottondale plant will be making those products.This past June, however, the plant reduced its workforce with a permanent layoff of 103 workers, according to information it filed with the state of Alabama.